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Monthly Archives: May 2015

In 2008 The Raj began offering Maharishi Light Therapy with Gems, a unique form of light therapy which offers a profound level of the mind-body healing.

Light therapy is not, in and of itself, a new approach to healing. It is commonly used in hospitals and clinics around the world as an accepted treatment for many mood and sleep disorders, depression, seasonal affective disorder, and even some skin diseases,

According to Richard J. Wurtman, a nutritionist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, “…light is the most important environmental input, after food, in controlling bodily function.” Several experiments have shown that different colors affect blood pressure, pulse and respiration rates as well as brain activity and biorhythms.

Alexander Schauss, director of the American Institute for Biosocial Research, is impressed with the degree that color has a direct physiological impact. “The electromagnetic energy of color”, Schauus says, “interacts in some still unknown way with the pituitary, pineal gland and the hypothalamus, deep in the brain, These organs regulate the endocrine system, which controls many basic body functions and emotional responses, such as aggression.”

The unique aspect of the light therapy available at The Raj is that it uses “beamers” or light projectors that contain high quality gemstones, such as diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and blue and yellow sapphires. When a suitable light shines through the gemstones, the molecular characteristics and healing properties of the stones get imprinted in the specific frequencies of transmitted light, which are then transferred to the body—enlivening the body’s innate intelligence and healing mechanisms.

The specified areas of the body bathed in the soft coherent light of the gemstones during Maharishi Light Therapy with Gems are those associated with underlying nerve centers— the body’s epicenters of intelligence.

Keith Wegman, an MLG practitioner at The Raj explains, “The light frequencies act as a carrier for the orderly structure of the gems. They resonate with the subtle frequencies of our physiology and trigger profound self-healing and self-repair.”

The equipment used in MLG treatments was developed over a period of 30 years by Dr. Yoachim Roller, a German gemologist, under the direct guidance of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who founded the Transcendental Meditation® technique and Maharishi Ayurveda.

The treatments are offered on two levels: with “Regular beamers” and with “Big beamers”. The Big beamers, a later development and refinement of the technique, contain 12 gems within each beamer, with a total of 145 gems used in the treatment. The Raj is one of only two facilities in the world that offers the Big beamers as well as the Regular beamers.

“The Big Beamers have a unique ability to transform any rigidity or obstruction to the flow of energy in the physiology,” Mr. Wegman said. “The transformation is more significant than with the regular beamers because the body is being submerged in profound coherence. All the frequencies in the body adjust to that. The more powerful orderliness of the large beamers takes over any disorder, restoring balance in previously weak or compromised areas of functioning.”

Mr. Wegman adds, “Gems are crystalline structures that are as old as our planet. Their inherent intelligence and orderliness resonates with the inherent intelligence and orderliness in the physiology, and that produces the profound results for mind and body that thousands of people have already experienced.”

In combination with other natural and holistic approaches of Maharishi Ayur-Veda, the Maharishi Light Therapy with Gems can prevent imbalances in the physiology and help develop the full potential of the mind/body system.

For the current monthly special on Maharishi Light Therapy with Gems, please contact The Raj Maharishi Ayurvedic Health Spa in Fairfield, Iowa

One of our top recommendations to guests at The Raj as they head home is to continue with daily oil massage (abhyanga). The effects of daily Ayurveda oil massage (recommended before bathing in the morning) are multifold. Not only will a morning oil massage help pull toxins from the skin (the largest organ in the body and an important organ for the elimination of toxins), it also leaves a protective film that acts as a barrier between your skin and harmful environmental elements.

While oil massage helps balance all doshas — especially when you use oil infused with herbs that specifically target Vata, Pitta or Kapha — it is especially good for balancing Vata. I know many people who never travel without a small container of sesame oil. After a long plane or car ride, there is nothing more grounding than an oil massage followed by a good soak in a hot bath. (Add in some Vata tea and aroma oil and you are well on your way to side-stepping the jangling effects of travel.)

But the beneficial effects of oil massage don’t stop there. Research also suggests that sesame oil (the oil most often used in abhyanaga) selectively stops malignant skin cancer cells from growing in laboratory tissue culture, and at the same time allows normal skin cells to proliferate.

According to the study, sesame and safflower oils selectively inhibited the grown of malignant melanoma cell cultures, but coconut, olive and mineral oils did not. The traditional Ayurveda texts specifically recommend sesame oil massage to promote health and longevity.

(One note of caution: sesame oil has a naturally heating property. Those with a Pitta body type or with Pitta imbalances may need to opt for another oil and may react to sesame oil with rashes or redness. If you are in this catagory, you will want to opt for a more cooling oil.)

Researchers have known for years that linoleic acid, an essential polyunsaturated fatty acid that is present in small quantities in the body, inhibits many kinds of cancer growth. But because pure linoleic acid is highly unstable and can irritate a person’s skin and eyes, it cannot be used or ingested safely. In the above mentioned research study, scientists used the whole vegetable oil, rather than trying to isolate the active ingredient, thus avoiding unnatural side effects.

Research also shows that oil massage is an important component in removing synthetic chemicals from our physiology. In the US there are thousands of these kind of chemicals used in various types of industry or agriculture. These toxins are present everywhere in our environment and can be found in virtually every living organism around the world. Regardless of our lifestyle, profession, eating habits, or geographic location, by the time we are 40 years old, our toxin level is substantial.

A study on clients participating in the traditional Ayurveda detoxification and purification treatments (Panchakarma) at The Raj showed that blood levels of these chemicals were reduced by 50% after a 5-day course of treatment. Because these harmful chemicals are fat-soluble, they are able to be “washed” from our fat cells by the deeply penetrating sesame oil (as well as by other components of the treatment program.)

Integrating a 10-minute sesame oil massage into your morning routine can have a significant impact on reducing Vata imbalances, purifying the skin and maintaining balance throughout the body.

To learn more about the research on removing fat-soluble toxins through the detoxification treatments of Ayurveda (Panchakarma), visit The Raj website:

Our bodies were not meant to be toxic dumps. Yet improper digestion, high levels of stress and pollutants such as chemicals in the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the foods we eat, continuously create toxins in the body. If not flushed out on a regular basis, this toxic buildup can eventually manifest as disorders. And as we grow older, the body’s built-in mechanisms for eliminating impurities tend to be less efficient, thus stressing the need for periodic internal cleansing therapy.

THREE KINDS OF TOXINS

Ayurveda describes three kinds of toxins. The most common is “ama”, which is the sticky waste-product of poor digestion. Ama builds up in the digestive tract when your digestion is either weak or overloaded with the wrong foods.

If ama is allowed to build up over time, eventually it can leave the digestive tract and start circulating through the body. Once it settles in a specific area, the ama begins to mix with the subdoshas and or the dhatus (body tissues). When it mixes with these parts of the physiology, it becomes “amavisha” — a more reactive and toxic type of ama. This is the kind of ama that underlies many chronic disorders and diseases.

Ama can also block the channels of circulation in the body, preventing the unrestricted flow of nutrients to the cells and organs. Or it can clog the channels that carry waste from the cells and tissues, resulting in a toxic build-up.

The third type of toxin is the category of environmental toxins — or “garavisha”. Environmental toxins come from outside the body and include pesticides and chemical fertilizers that make their way into our foods or get carried by the wind, as well as preservative, additives and genetically engineered foods. These toxins have been associated with hormone disruption, immune system suppression, reproductive disorders, several types of cancer and other disorders such as allergies.

SPRING IS THE IDEAL TIME FOR CLEANSING

The reason many people feel the signs of ama build-up in spring more than at other time of year is because that is when toxins that have built up in the body over the winter start to display their symptoms. If you don’t follow the proper seasonal diet and routine during the first two months of winter (November and December), the toxins you accumulate that time get stuck or “frozen” in the walls of the channels because of the cold weather. By the time spring comes and the temperatures rise, the “frozen” ama starts to melt. As it flows the channels of the body become flooded with toxins. Because of this yearly phenomena, Spring is the best time to detoxify. By necessity the body goes into a mode of eliminating toxins at this time of the year, so it is the perfect time to support the body in that role.

If you experience a heavy feeling in your body, if your joints are stiff, if your tongue is coated when you wake up in the morning, if you have an unpleasant body odor, if you feel dull and sleepy after eating, and/or if your mind is foggy, you may have a build-up of ama. Diarrhea, constipation, joint pain, sadness, dullness, lowered immunity, and frequent bouts of colds and flu are all health problems that can be caused by ama.

Amavisha and garavisha types of toxins are best handled by an Ayurvedic expert and through the classic Ayurveda purification and detoxification treatments, Panchakarma. There are, however, are a number of things you can do on an ongoing basis to prevent ama from building up in your body. –

TIPS FOR REDUCING AMA

The most important thing is to eat your main meal at noon, when the sun is strongest and the digestive fire reflects that strength. If you eat too much at night, or eat heavy foods such as meat or cheese then, the food will sit in your stomach and create ama. Eat light at night and your food will be easily digested before you go to sleep.

Don’t snack between meals unless you are actually hungry, Wait until the food is digested before eating a meal. If your digestion is already occupied with digesting and you add new food on top of that, the result is ama, the sour, undigested waste product of undigested food.

Going to sleep before 10 p.m. is essential, because then during the Pitta time of night (10 p.m.-2 a.m.) your digestion has a chance to cleanse and rejuvenate itself. If you stay up, you’ll probably feel hungry about midnight and will want to eat, which will tax the digestion and create ama.

Waking up before 6 a.m. is recommended, because if you sleep late into the Kapha time of the morning (6-10 a.m.), the channels of your body will become clogged with ama and you’ll feel dull and tired.

Daily exercise that is suitable for your body type will stimulate digestion and help cleanse the body of toxins.

It’s also important to manage your stress. Everyone can benefit from spending time each day practicing the Transcendental Meditation program to remove mental, emotional and physical stress.

Spring is the ideal time to visit an Ayurvedic expert to determine if you are dealing with ama, and, if so, what type of ama it is. An Ayurvedic expert can then recommend an individualized approach to clearing your system of impurities. For more information on consultations and on the detoxifying programs of Panchakarma, visit The Raj Ayurveda Health Spa website.

Last week we looked at the Ayurvedic understanding and approach to short-term symptoms of menopause. To understand the Ayurvedic approach to long-term symptoms such as osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease, it is necessary to understand the development of the bodily tissues.

According to Ayurveda, tissues are formed sequentially in seven steps, with each step relying on the previous one for proper nourishment and balance. The step responsible for fat, sugar and hormone metabolism is called “medha”. The following step is called “ashti” and is responsible for bone and metabolism.

If medha is blocked by impurities, then fat, sugar and hormonal metabolism will be blocked. Women with medha out of balance will be more prone to higher cholesterol, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. And if medha is out of balance, the next step in the development of the tissues, ashti, does not receive proper nourishment. As a result, the bones become weak, as in osteoporosis.

Thus many of the symptoms of menopause are interrelated through the functioning and formation of the tissues. The traditional rejuvenation and detoxification treatments of Ayurveda, Panchakarma treatments, are especially effective in balancing the transformation of the tissues. When the tissues are balanced at the onset of menopause, symptoms of imbalanced tissues, such as cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis, should not appear. Ideally Panchakarma should be taken before the onset of menopause to help ensure a graceful and easy transition.